Table.



G. STEINGRUBER.

TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, I915- ]Patented Apr. 18, 1916,

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. STEINGRUBER.

TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 2. 1915.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mmm.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH 50., WASHINGTON. D. c.

GEORGE STEINGRUBER, 0F HAZLEHUBST, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNOR T0 MINNIE B.STEINGRUBER, 0F HAZLEHURST, MISSISSIPPI.

TABLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. in, 19 16..

Application filed. January 2, 1915. Serial No. 142.

The invention comprises essentially certain improvements in theconstruction of what I call extension and equalizing units for suchtables, such a unit being set forth in my previous application forpatent,

.Serial Number 763,820, filed April 26, 1913.

An especial object of the present invention has been to improve upon thedetail construction of the metal parts comprising the aforesaid unit,whereby to simplify. and cheapen the. cost of manufacture of said parts,and to afford a somewhat more ad vantageous arrangement ofxtheequalizing connection intermediate the spaced runners which are carriedby and moved with the top sections of the table.

Still another object of the present improvements has been to design therunner support, at opposite sides of which the runners operate in such away as to provide a housing for the equalizing connection continuallypreventing disarrangement of the latter as it operates incident to theequa1- izing of opposite movements of the sections of the table top,when one of said sectionsis actuated either by way of extending orcontracting the top.

In addition to the foregoing, I provide certain minor features ofconstruction possessing novelty in the art and particularly pointed outin the claims appended hereto, though I do not desire to be limited tothe exact details of my invention as described hereinafter, sincevariations may be made in the construction of my inventionwithoutmaterially departing from the spirit of the same.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical, longitudinalsectional view of the top portion of a table having the inventionapplied thereto and showing the pedestal broken away. Fig. 2 is asimilar view of the table partially extended however, and showing therelative positions of the runner support and runners at such adjustment,

certain parts being broken away to more fully illustrate the arrangementof the pulleys and anti-friction rollers. Fig. 3 is a horizontalsectional view taken approximately on the line 33 of Fig. 1, the tableparts being omitted. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the runnersupport, one of its housing flanges being broken away to showclearly theequalizing connection. Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are vertical sections takenthrough the equalizing and extension unit, Fig. 5 taken on the line 55of Fig. 1, Fig. 6 on the line 66 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 7 on the line 77 ofFig. 1. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective View of the plate or member usedto connect each runner with the equalizing member or chain.

The extension dining table illustrated in the drawings is of aconventional type comprising the top made up of the main sections A andB adapted to be pulled apart and forced together in the extending andcontracting of the top of the table. The pedestal is designated 0 andembodies a suitable cross piece or cross pieces on which the table topis supported. Attached to said cross pieces so asto be held in positionthereby are two of the extension and equalizing units of this invention,one only of which will be described from now on. The unit comprises acentral longitudinal runner supporting member'l made up of a piece ofsheet metal so that the body thereof is. of U-form, see Figs. 5, 6 and7, open at the bottom, and closed at the top. The runners similar tothose employed in the construction of my previous application referredto, are designated 2 and consist of plates formed with upper and loweredge flanges constituting spaced members between which the anti-frictionrollers 3 operate. The rollers 3 are attached to and supported wholly bythe runner support 1 and by reason of the engagement of the said rollerswith the edge flanges of the runners, the latter are interlocked withthe runner support 1 and prevented from lateral movement tending toseparate said runners from the support. Each of the runners 2 is securedto one of the top sections B of the table and for this purpose an angleplate or similar member 4: is attached to the upper portion of eachrunner and may be screwed or otherwise fastened to the under side of thetop section 13 with which the runner is to cooperate. The runnersupports 1' will be secured to the base portion of the table, or thecross pieces 5 of the present construction by fastening bolts 6 passingvertically through the body of the runner of said support and rigidlyholding the support from displacement; Any suitable number of the bolts6 may be used as they do not interfere with the operation of theequalizing connection 7 or the rollers 3. The equalizing connection 7preferably consists of a chain cable or similar flexible member which isendless or continuous preferably and passing all around pulleys 8mounted on the end portions of the support 1. The pulleys 8 arepreferably arranged to operate in slots or openings formed in the sidesof the U-shaped support 1 and to provide an axis, each pulley is mountedupon a bolt or spindle member 9 passing through an opening in the top ofthe support 1 and through a plate 10 disposed so as to extend across theopen space at the bottom of said support, see Fig. 6. If desired, thepulleys 8 may be mounted upon the bolts such as at 6, which bolts securethe runner supports 1 in position. The equalizing connection 7 isattached at opposite-points to the opposite spaced runners 2, eachrunner being preferably supplied with an engaging plate or member 11that extends downward therefrom near one end and is formed with abifurcated arm 11*, the members of which are adapted to engage in thelinks of the chain or connection 7.

The side'portions of the support 1 are bent outwardly and upwardly attheir lower edges whereby to form housing flanges 12 which terminateslightly spaced from the runners 2 at the lower edges of the latter.These flanges 12 are so situated that the pulleys 8 are located betweenthe same as well as disposed substantially beside the rollers 3.Therefore, when the equalizing connection 7 is arranged so as to operateabout the pulleys 8 it will be apparent that said connection is disposedwithin the space covered by the housing flanges 12 and is, therefore,hidden from view as well as protected by means of said flanges.Furthermore, the flanges cooperate to hold the chain or connection 7from becoming disengaged from the members of the arm 11 of the connecting plates 11 on the runners, said plates 11 thus cooperating with theparts 12 to hold the chain or connection 7 in a proper position notinterfering with the action of the rollers 3 in any way and avoidingliability of the accidental disengagement of the parts 7 andv 11 duringarrangement of the unit securing the same, being supplied ordinarilyasba complete device ready to apply to a ta 1e.

It is notable also that the arrangement of the plate 11 with the lowerportions or arms theraet eesasins Within. the sses. 12 is conducive toestablishing a desirable positive connection between the parts 1 and 2,the members 11 constituting projections cooperative with the flanges 12to steady the members of the equalizing and extension unit on relativemovement of the same and in respect particularly to any tendency towardlateralplay of the runners 2 upon the support 1.

It will be understood that when one section B of the table is pulledoutwardly or pushed inwardly, as the case may be, owing to theconnection of said section to the runner supports 1 of the two unitsemployed, and the connections intermediate the runners cooperating withthe said runner supports, a simultaneous equal and opposite movement ofthe other top section is induced. Therefore, whatever movement isimparted to the top section A of the table a corresponding equal andopposite movement must be imparted to the section B, being transmittedfrom the actuated section through the provision of the equalizing andextension units described. The members 11 coact with the pulleys 8 tolimit the amountof extension obtainable by the separating movement ofthe top sections of the table.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. An equalizing and extension unit for dining tables, the samecomprising a runner support of approximately inverted U- form, runnersmounted on the sides of said support for free sliding movement, thesides of said runner support having housing flanges projecting laterallyand upwardly therefrom, pulleys mounted on the support and arrangedbetween the upwardly extending portions of the flanges aforesaid, and anendless equalizing connection passing around said pulleys and havingconnection with the said runners and operating in a position in which itis housed by the said flanges.

2. In combination, an equalizing and extension unit comprising a runnersupport, means to secure said runner support to the base of a table,runners slidably mounted on said support, pulleys mounted on the runnersupport adjacent to its opposite ends, an endless connection operatingabout said pulleys, and members connecting said endless connection withthe runners and adapted to have slidable engagement with the runnersupport for the purpose described.

3. In an extension and equalizing unit for dining tables comprising acentral longitudinal U-shaped runner support, pulleys secured to saidsupport adjacent to its opposite ends, an equalizing connectionoperating about said pulleys, runners at opposite sides of the runnersupport and disposed beside said equalizing connection, rollers on the,oppe ite side at he runner s ppo ts 1,180,201 i in;

engaging with the said runners, plates secured to the runners andengaging the equalizing connection, opposite sides of the runner supportbeing formed with housing flanges arranged to incase the equalizingconnection and cooperative with the plates aforesaid in the mannerdescribed.

4. In an extension and equalizing unit for dining tables, a runnersupport of inverted lU-form having the sides thereof bent upward attheir lower edges to provide housing flanges the upper edges of whichare spaced from said sides, runners mounted for sliding movement on saidrunner support and operating above the housing flanges aforesaid, anendless equalizing connection passing through the runner support atpoints adjacent to its opposite ends and arranged to operate in thespace between the housing flanges and the sides of the runner support soas to be practically inclosed in such space, and members connecting theequalizing connection with said runners.

5. In an extension and equalizing unit for dining tables, thecombination of a runner support of substantially inverted U-form port,pulleys about which said endless connection operates disposed adjacentto opposite ends of the runner support, runners mounted at oppositesides of the runner supports above the said housing flanges, platesfixed to the runners and projecting downwardly into the space betweenthe housing flanges and the sides of the runner supports and engagedwith the endless connection aforesaid, and fastening members forconnecting the runner support with a table structure forming axes forthe said pulleys.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE STEINGRUBER.

Witnesses:

J NO. BAAs, Mrs. GEORGE STEINGRUBER.

@opiea of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

